Key Elements of Relevant Pre-service Training from the Perspectives of Science Education Graduates

Abstract

The challenges in schooling brought by a pandemic point to the importance of relevant practices responsive to the dynamics in the workplace and suggest rethinking the pre-service training in higher education. The study used the triangulation in mixed methods research among the 24 purposely selected science education graduates. The qualitative data was gathered through interviews, and the contexts of narratives were analyzed thematically. The survey results on attaining professional standards represent the quantitative data, and the two data sets were merged for analysis and comparison. The merging of the identified themes and quantitative results revealed that thekey elements relevant in pre-service training are procedural and pedagogical content knowledge that facilitates learning, skills for lifelong learning, behaviors for self-regulation, and behaviors supporting effective teaching. These fundamental elements in teaching are recommended as the basis for determining pre-service teachers' readiness toward actual teaching practice.